Process of converting copper matte to copper



J. E. GAYLORD. PROCESS OF OONVERTING COPPER MATTE T0 COPPER (No Model.)

Patented Dec 30 m: mums PETERS cm, monMImm, WASHINGIQN, a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

JARED E. GAYLORD, OF BUTTE CITY, MONTANA.

PROCESS OF CONVERTING COPPER MATTE TO COPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,758, dated December 30, 1890.

Application filed June 21, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JARED E. GAYLORD, a citizen of the United States, residing in Butte City, in the county of Silver Bow and State of Montana, have invented an Improvement in Processes of Converting Copper Matte to Copper, of which the following is a specification.

In the air reducing of copper mattes and crude regulus to copper by what is known as the Manhes process some difficulty has been experienced in keeping up the uniform and thorough distribution of the air-blast throughout the highlyheated and molten charge owing to tuyere obstructions and other causes, the more important of which are herein specified.

The object of my invention is to provide a process for maintaining and regulating the uniform passage of airthroughout the charge of a converter in which crude copper is being refin ed.

Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings are sections showing the air-passages and accumulations of chilled copper. Figs. 3, 4t, and 5 represent the prick-rod and air-passages. Y

The converter or refining-vessel is of the form usual in vessels of this character employed in refining iron, except as regards the size and number of the air-openings, which materially differ from those commonly employed in the art of iron-refining.

The drawings illustrate part of a converter A, which usually has two wind-boxes, one on each side of the vessel, each provided with a series of, say, nine air-passages formed in the ganister or lining B of the refining-vessel. The wind-box C may entirely surround the converting-vessel, or, if desired, all of the airpassages may be on one side of the refiningvessel.

The air-openings D are conveniently formed in the lining of the converter when freshly laid, thus avoiding the use of separate tuyeres ortuyere-blocks. These openings should each be about five-eighths of an inch in diameter, and the lower air-passages are preferably arranged at a distance above the bot tom of the converter.

For the most satisfactory blowing of a Serial No. 356,282. (No model.)

charge of copper matte I find that the airopenings should be arranged to distribute the air throughout the upper two-thirds of the molten charge, allowing the lower portion of the partially-reduced matte to collect below the direct line of the incoming and oxidizing blast.

The outer wall of the wind-box above named is formed with an opening opposite each of the air-openings in the lining of the converting-vessel. In the usual form of the Manhes converter these openings are provided with plugs, slides, or glasses to allow a ready inspection or cleaning of the tuyere-passages.

The wind -box may be provided with a prick-rod, as E, which may be mounted on a plug, valve, or piston, which plug is temporarily fixed in the opening of the wind-box, and so arranged as to allow the rod to be rapidly passed through the air-passage of the converter-lining for the purpose of clearing the same of metallic obstructions, as hereinafter described. The piston or plug carrying the prick-rod may be operated by suitable power; but as is actually practiced at the present time the prick-rod is quickly passed through the tuyere-passage by a skillful hand without the aid of mechanism. The size of the rod employed in pricking out or cleaning the passages in the manner above described depends upon the size of the opening in the converter-lining; but in all cases the rod should be considerably less than the diameter of the tuyere-passage.

For the size of tuyere-openings specified above I find that a half-inch rod efficiently serves to remove the tuyere obstructions or deposits, which are found to interfere with the uniform and rapid convertion of copper matte. A rod of this size used successively in the tuyere-passages allows the free flow of the air-blast around the wire during the pricking or cleaning operation, and, unlike the former use of iron bars or rods nearly the size of the tuyeres, I find that the wire rods are not liable to stick in the air-passages or interfere with the working of the converter.

In place of the round wire or rod a threesided rod, as shown in Fig. 4, or a small hollow or flute tube, as in Fig. 5,, or a rod otherwise constructed may be used to allow the passage of the blast around or through said Tool for the purposes described when the same is being employed to remove the obstructions aforesaid.

I am aware that it has been heretofore proposed to use iron bars in cleaning out converter-blast passages or tuyeres; but such bars have been of a size corresponding to the size of the tuyereholes and they completely shut off the air blast during the cleaning operation.

I find that bars corresponding in size to the passages cannot be practically employed in removing obstructions. \Vhen such bars are driven into the obstructed blast-passages of a copper-refining furnace such as a Manhes converter, the air -blast is completely shut oil": from the individual passage during the barring operation. Consequently when the iron bar is withdrawn the molten metallic matter follows into and fills the tuyere-passage, and if the bar is driven back to remove the deposit it soon becomes partially fused or fastened to the silicious lining of the refining-chamber, necessitating much labor in its removal and loss in furnace-linings and expense, all of which objections will be obviated by my invention.

In the refining of copper matte and ores during the first part of the operation the airblast passes readily and freely through all the tuyere-passages, and the metallic charge is thus rapidly and uniformly refined. The operator by careful inspection of the several air-passages during the operation will soon notice that some of them become darkened by being partially closed at their inner ends. This closure of the inner end of the air-passage is found to be due to reduced copper mixed with matte, slag, &c., which by the cooling action of the incoming air-blasts becomes chilled and collected about the end or nose of the tuyere. These copper noses, as they are called, do not usually close the air-passage, but in most instances they allow a portion of the air-blasts to pass through into the molten charge, as indicated by the arrows shown in Fig. 2; but even in their early formation they interfere with the blast, and if allowed to remain for any time the aecretions increase in size and soon completely cover the tuycre-openings and entirely prevent the passage of the oxidizing-blast. The metallic deposits or noses appear to be fused with or closely attached to the silicious lining of the tuyere-passage and converting-chamber; but if they are taken in the early stages of their formation they can be rapidly and readily removed by means of the small wire rod and the chemical action of the accompanying blasts of air simultaneously acting in the manner hercinbefore explained in detail.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In the pneumatic conversion of matte into copper wherein the melted charge extends above the tuycres, the method herein specified of keeping the air-passages open and free from the chilled copper and maintaining the air-pressure, consisting in passing into and through each air-passage successive] y a driftrod sufficiently smaller than the tuyere to allow the air under pressure to act Within the air-passage in keeping back the molten metal while the obstructions are removed from the end of the tuyere by the drift-rod, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 19th day of June, 1890.

JARED E. GAYLORD.

Witnesses:

A. F. llIIGEON, LEnUEL W. Sent-mp1,. 

